Bear vs. Shark is one of those truly unique bands that transcends genres and smashes convention. Sometimes music gets safe and stale and stagnent. Everyone's just "making" music but no one is "creating" it. Then a band like Bear vs. Shark comes charging out of your speakers and reminds you, "Yesss!!! Wait a minute? What the?...Oh Yeah!!! I remember this feeling! THIS is what I love about music!

It's like this; Fugazi hasn't put out a new record since 2001's "The Argument" and though good, I think over all it was laking energy.

Hot Water Music really hasn't been the same since joining Epitaph ( let's not even talk about "The New What Next").

Okay, the Mars Volta's pretty rad in a "Pink Floyd on speed" kinda way and Sparta's made one good album (Wiretap...) and one stinker (Porcelain). But let's face it, neither band comes close to how great they were together as At The Drive-In.

Some bands can kick your butt and smash your brains in. Some bands are sweet and poppy and get your booty shakin'. Bear vs. Shark does both (a lot of times all in one song) like no other band I've heard before. If you are a fan of any of the bands I mentioned here, do yourself a favor and buy this album. Then do yourself another favor and buy their new album "Terrorhawk".

When I first heard of this band I was working for the girlfriend of one of their guitarists/bassist/ whatever whom i was super smitten with. I heard they sounded like at the drive in whom i love, so i bought the cd to support a local band(Detroit represent!) fully intending to hate it. Once i listened to it a couple times I fell in love despite myself. This is band that matters. Maybe not the most original band ever but who cares. I listen to music to be moved, i want to feel whatever i'm listening to and BVS does not disappoint. As much as wanted this band to suck, they most definately do not, the opposite in fact. if you like fuagzi, atdi etc give these guys a chance they f'n rock. Also as a musican myself, these guys got chops. If they were still together id say check em out but since they broke up youll have to check youtube out to see em. anyway well worth 5 stars and your ten bucks and then some

I first heard Bear vs. Shark about a year ago, when they had just recorded a demo CD, which was never actually released. It sounded unpolished and fuzzy, but there was something in the music that shone through. Passion.I next had the pleasure of seeing them at The Continental on St. Mark's Place in NYC, with Anatomy of a Ghost, Haste, This Day Forward, etc. Bear vs. Shark just amazed the crowd. The lead singer has a passion which is hard to match. He has this incredible yell that, even when he moves his microphone away, can still be heard over the music. He has an incredible stage presence. At times he would play the keyboard, but he would attack it with a ferocity that would make Andrew W.K. jealous. He would bang himself against it, ride it, jump on it, stand on it, and sing from on top of it. And he would do it in such a way that it would still sound incredible (not like some guy banging against a keyboard)The music itself is really good. The band has become incredibly tight musicians on the road. They get into a groove, and it just gets rolling. Drummer Branden Moss is an incredible drummer, driving the music forward. The two guitars and bass are rotated between three other band members, each taking his turn at the bass, while the other two play guitar.The CD is definitely a good indication of the live show. I highly recommend it; this band has incredible potential to be huge.

No matter how hard you squeeze, you could not wring all the creativity out of this album. BVS consistently leads the listener through unsuspecting turns and twists that is sure to satiate one's musical appetite. Track 1 ("Ma Jolie") and Track 3 ("Busses/No Busses") leap to mind as representative of the refreshing unpredicability of the album.Not only is the musicianship masterful, the lyrical content is subtly sophisticated. A perfect example is the lyrical continuity and musical contrast between Track 7 ("MPS") and Track 8 ("Second").BVS' versatility also ensures that there is something for everyone on the album: Track 4 ("The Employee...") and Track 10 ("Bloodgiver") will leave any fan of sound happy.The last song, Track 12 ("Broken Dog Leg"), is all-around solid and, ironically, may contain one of the most brilliant moments on the album: the first forty seconds of the song.Overall, BVS' debut album is superb.It also leaves many of the newcomer emo/post-punk/hardcore bands standing with their pants around their ankles.